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Meet the Child & Adolescent Services Team

March 27, 2017|Child & Adolescent

We have recently expanded Child & Adolescent services in our Newton-Watertown location with a team of clinicians who specialize in treating children, adolescents, and their families. Services include individual therapy and medication management & consulting, treating a wide range of concerns. Get to know our Child & Adolescent team:

Dr. Rezendes is a clinical psychologist who provides individual psychotherapy for adults and adolescents age 14 and older. His theoretical and treatment orientations are largely eclectic but emphasize a strengths-based approach that draws upon cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, and client-centered models. Dr. Rezendes believes it is important to work with every client from a collaborative, pragmatic, and transparent approach that meets the individual needs of each client.

Dr. Rezendes enjoys working together with clients presenting with a variety of difficulties including but not limited to anxiety & stress related problems, depression & mood issues, relationship concerns, and life transitions. Dr. Rezendes’ research interests include the intersection of culture and psychological development and the relationship between aggression, violent media, and sports.

Dr. Rezendes earned a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He completed his internship training at the Counseling Center at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth and completed post-doctoral training at Tufts University Counseling and Mental Health Service.

Dr. Tecce is a licensed psychologist with extensive experience in the treatment and psychological assessment of adolescents, adults, and families. She tailors her approach to meet the individual needs of her clients to create a safe environment for them to explore and share. She is emotionally present and flexible while incorporating humor. Dr. Tecce accepts clients as young as age 8.

Dr. Tecce received her doctoral degree from Antioch University New England and a master’s degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at The Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) in Muncie, IN. The YOC is a multi-disciplinary residential treatment facility for children and adolescents (ages 7-18). There she conducted individual, group, and family therapy, and administered diagnostic and psychological evaluations to children and adolescents with severe psychopathology and complex trauma. Dr. Tecce also completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at William James College’s Center of Excellence for Children, Families, and the Law: Child and Family Evaluation Service (CAFES). At CAFES, Dr. Tecce took on a role as a guardian ad litem (GAL) and conducted court-ordered psychological and custody evaluations for families in high conflict divorce. She also provided parent mediation and co-led a court-ordered psychoeducational parent group for individuals in high conflict divorce. Dr. Tecce is also certified in Child and Family Forensics.

Dr. Khaira is a board-certified adult psychiatrist specializing in treating children & adolescents who offers psychiatric diagnostic assessments, medication consultation, psychopharmacology, and psychotherapy services. She is interested in psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavioral approaches, and enjoys working with adults as well as children and families. Employing a warm and culturally sensitive approach, Dr. Khaira aims to align and work together in symptom alleviation, problem solving, and meaningful exploration.

Dr. Khaira believes in the power of psychoeducation, non-judgmental and reflective listening, the importance of a therapeutic alliance, and collaboration in treatment planning. She believes that mental health is an important public health issue and that good quality of life is imperative. Dr. Khaira finds working with and helping those who are suffering deeply rewarding.

After graduating high school in California, Dr. Khaira attended medical school at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in India. She completed the roughly 6 year program and found her passion for psychiatry as she advanced in her training, ultimately finding outpatient work to be particularly of interest. Dr. Khaira completed her Adult Psychiatry Residency training at Tufts Medical Center and went on to complete a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center.

Dr. McCloy is a licensed psychologist who has extensive experience providing treatment and psychological assessment services to a diverse population. She provides individual and family therapy to children, adolescents, and adults. She also provides psychological and psycho-educational assessment services. Dr. McCloy offers a strength-based and relational approach, while utilizing many psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and insight-oriented interventions within individually tailored treatment. Her goal is to create a warm and trusting environment where clients feel safe and may be empowered to grow. She is dedicated to working collaboratively with clients to find hope, cope with challenges, strengthen relationships, discover solutions, and deepen one’s own understanding of the authentic self.

Dr. McCloy is passionate about working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. Her areas of clinical interest include, but are not limited to: working with at-risk youth, oppositional-defiant adolescents, those who have experienced trauma, and clients experiencing anxiety, depression, identity development issues, sexual orientation exploration, relationship challenges, self-esteem difficulties, anger management, and behavioral problems. Dr. McCloy is a certified trauma specialist and offers services related to the effects of trauma. Dr. McCloy also provides play therapy, creative arts therapy, and narrative therapy.

Dr. McCloy received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Starr Commonwealth residential treatment facility in Albion, MI, and completed her post-doctoral training in private practice in New Bedford, MA. She has worked in many different settings, such as therapeutic day schools, residential treatment facilities, community mental health centers, and outpatient private practice. She has worked with clients from a variety of racial, cultural, sexual, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dr. Fernando is a child, adolescent, and Board Certified adult psychiatrist offering comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic assessments and medication consultation. Dr. Fernando believes in empathic and open-minded listening to establish a therapeutic alliance, and uses a patient-centered, culturally sensitive approach in psychoeducation and treatment planning. She strongly values collaborative goal-setting with each of her patients and works with them towards emotionally healthy and fulfilling lives. She treats a broad range of diagnoses including mood, ADHD, PTSD and other trauma related disorders, OCD, and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Fernando earned her master’s degree in Public Health with a focus in maternal and child health from Harvard School of Public Health. She graduated from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington DC. Dr. Fernando completed her residency training in Adult Psychiatry at the DC Department of Behavioral Health’s Saint Elizabeth Hospital, and her subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in NH. She sees patients in the Newton-Watertown office.

Dr. Melartin is a licensed psychologist who provides individual therapy, counseling, and consultation for clients who are diverse in age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Though her approach varies depending on the issues of the individual client, she uses elements from her training in insight-oriented therapy, behavioral therapy, family and systems theory, as well as neuropsychology (the study of brain-behavior interaction). Some of her interests include mood and anxiety problems, relationship challenges, adjustment to medical issues, cross-cultural issues, and the stresses and adjustments to various life transitions. Until recently, she was a school psychologist.

Dr. Melartin earned a Doctorate of Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Her APA internship at the Beaverbrook Guidance Center included training in child, adult, group and family therapy. She had further training through a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellowship at the Boston College Counseling Center, and through neuropsychology fellowships at the Behavioral Neurology Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Learning Evaluation Center at McLean Hospital.